The New York Yankees entered the weekend on an absolute tear over their last two months of play with a 36-11 record over their last 47 games. The Yankees’ recent stretch of dominance has catapulted them into the top spot on the World Series betting board.
World Series 2018 odds: Yankees atop betting futures ahead of Astros and Red Sox
The New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox all look strong in the first half of 2018, and the sportsbooks have them as the favorites on the 2018 World Series odds.
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
New York is a +475 favorite on the odds to win the 2018 World Series at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. There is plenty to like about this year’s Yankees club, which leads the league in run production with 5.37 runs per game and home runs with 1.68 per game. The Yankees also have an excellent bullpen that ranks fifth best in the majors with an ERA of 2.92.
If New York can add another ace to join Luis Severino at the top of the staff at the trade deadline, the Yankees could enter the fall as an even bigger favorite to win it all.
As impressive as the Yankees have been, not much separates them in the standings or on the stat sheet from the Houston Astros (+500 to win the World Series) or the Boston Red Sox (+600). Houston’s 5.13 runs per game and Boston’s 5.09 runs per game rank second and third in the majors respectively, all three have nearly identical bullpen stats, and Houston and Boston both currently have deeper starting staffs than the Yankees.
The Astros are particularly dangerous in this category boasting the league’s best starting staff with a team ERA of 2.96. The playoff battles between these teams promise to be intense with very little margin for error across the board.
Over in the National League, the top three favorites to win the World Series are the Chicago Cubs (+750), Washington Nationals (+800), and Los Angeles Dodgers (+1000).
Chicago enters the weekend trailing the Milwaukee Brewers (+1600) for the top spot in the NL Central, but with the third best offense in the NL and the best pitching staff in the NL with a team ERA of 3.17, there is plenty to like about the Cubs moving forward.
Other potential contenders include the Seattle Mariners (+1400), Atlanta Braves (+1600), Cleveland Indians (+1600), Philadelphia Phillies (+2200) and Arizona Diamondbacks (+2200).
2018 World Series Betting Odds
New York Yankees +475
Houston Astros +500
Boston Red Sox +600
Chicago Cubs +750
Washington Nationals +800
Los Angeles Dodgers +1000
Seattle Mariners +1400
Milwaukee Brewers +1600
Atlanta Braves +1600
Cleveland Indians +1600
Philadelphia Phillies +2200
Arizona Diamondbacks +2200
For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes or listen to it at OddsShark.libsyn.com.
